Control

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, but the data reveals a distinct ceiling at 4K. This combination ranks 609th out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. The percentile ranking of the GPU (76th) and CPU (72nd) suggests a balanced pairing, yet the measured frame rates show that the graphics card is the primary driver of performance, with the quad-core processor keeping pace until the resolution drops to 1080p where the CPU begins to influence the upper limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 609 out of 1636 tested combinations places it in the 37th percentile of all pairings, which is a solid mid-pack result. This position is largely defined by the RX 7800 XT’s strength, as it sits in the 76th percentile among all GPUs. The CPU, while lower in percentile (72nd), does not bottleneck the GPU at higher resolutions. Benchmark data shows the GPU outperforms its nearest rival, the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, by a mere 0.2% in average score, while the CPU is nearly tied with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, trailing by just 0.1%. This indicates that the combo’s ranking is more dependent on the GPU than the CPU, but the CPU’s strong single-thread performance—evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2224—prevents it from being a weak link in most scenarios.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7800 XT is the undisputed performance anchor in this pairing. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for Control’s texture-heavy environments. The GPU’s boost clock of 2430 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz allow it to sustain high frame rates, as seen in the 4K Low preset achieving 89.3 FPS. The high memory capacity ensures that even at Ultra settings, where the 4K average drops to 49.3 FPS, the card is not running out of VRAM. Instead, the data suggests a raw compute limitation, as the pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s are taxed heavily by the game’s physics and particle effects at higher presets. The GPU’s 3840 shading units and 60 RT cores provide ample headroom for the game’s visual effects, but the 4K Ultra result indicates that the card is near its limits for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear scaling pattern that identifies the bottleneck. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 78.9 FPS (173 vs 94.1), indicating that the GPU is fully utilized. Moving to 1440p, the same settings gap shrinks to 59.8 FPS (129.8 vs 70), and at 4K it narrows further to 40 FPS (89.3 vs 49.3). This progressive reduction in the delta between presets as resolution increases is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU’s role becomes apparent at 1080p Low, where the 173 FPS result is likely near the processor’s maximum frame delivery capability. The i3-12100F’s 4 cores and 8 threads, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, can handle the game’s logic, but the data implies that frame rates above 170 FPS would require more CPU headroom. At 4K, the GPU is the clear limiter, as even the Low preset (89.3 FPS) is significantly below the 1440p Low result (129.8 FPS), showing a 31.2% performance drop.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows indicate that the High preset offers the most balanced experience across resolutions. At 1080p, High delivers 112 FPS, which is only 9 FPS less than Medium (121) but provides a noticeable visual upgrade over Low (173). At 1440p, High achieves 81.9 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while Ultra drops to 70 FPS. For 4K, High is the only preset that approaches playability, with 54.4 FPS, whereas Ultra falls to 49.3 FPS and Medium struggles at 61.4 FPS. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for this combo, as it maintains playable frame rates at all resolutions while leveraging the GPU’s capabilities. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, Low at 4K (89.3 FPS) is viable, but the visual compromise is substantial given the game’s atmospheric lighting.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce 173 FPS, Medium reaches 121 FPS, High hits 112 FPS, and Ultra still achieves a smooth 94.1 FPS. These numbers indicate that the RX 7800 XT is overkill for 1080p, with the CPU potentially limiting the Low preset’s ceiling.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong. Low yields 129.8 FPS, Medium 90.5 FPS, High 81.9 FPS, and Ultra 70 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent—roughly 24-25% across all presets—which points to the GPU being the primary scaling factor.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more demanding. Low produces 89.3 FPS, Medium 61.4 FPS, High 54.4 FPS, and Ultra 49.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 40 FPS, which is the smallest absolute difference across resolutions, confirming that the GPU is fully saturated. The 4K High result of 54.4 FPS is just below the 60 FPS target, while Ultra is not viable for competitive play.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F plays a supporting role, but its performance is not negligible. With 4 cores and 8 threads, it is a modest processor by modern standards, yet its boost clock of 4.30 GHz and Alder Lake architecture provide strong single-threaded performance. The Geekbench single-core score of 2224 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681 are respectable. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the 173 FPS result is consistent with the CPU’s 3DMark 4-thread score of 2859. However, at higher resolutions and settings, the GPU takes over. The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache is sufficient for the game’s data requirements, and its DDR4/DDR5 memory support offers flexibility. The benchmark results indicate that the i3-12100F performs within 0.4% of the Intel Core i7-1250U and is 1.8% ahead of the Intel Core i7-7700K, showing that it holds its own against older high-end parts. For Control, the CPU’s role is to maintain a minimum frame rate floor, which it does effectively up to 1440p High.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 4K in Control?*

A: The data shows that at 4K High, the average FPS is 54.4, which is below 60. To achieve 60 FPS at 4K, you would need to use Medium settings, which yield 61.4 FPS, but this is a marginal margin.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 provides the best balance. At High settings, it delivers 81.9 FPS, which is well above 60, and at Ultra it still maintains 70 FPS. This resolution offers higher visual fidelity than 1080p without the performance hit of 4K.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the frame rate reaches 173 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s limit. The i3-12100F’s 4 cores and 8 threads can handle the game’s logic, but pushing beyond this frame rate would require a more powerful processor.

Q: Is the RX 7800 XT overkill for 1080p in this game?

A: The data suggests yes. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 94.1 FPS, which is high, but the GPU’s 16 GB VRAM and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are not fully utilized at this resolution. The card is better suited for 1440p or 4K gaming.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, Ultra is 17.9 FPS slower than High (94.1 vs 112). At 1440p, the difference is 11.9 FPS (70 vs 81.9), and at 4K, it is 5.1 FPS (49.3 vs 54.4). The gap narrows as resolution increases, indicating that Ultra settings are more demanding on the GPU.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 609th out of 1636 combos, placing it in the 37th percentile. This is a solid mid-pack result, with the GPU’s 76th percentile ranking being the primary driver of the combo’s position.